Rosamund Clifford

Rosamund Clifford, the original name of Lady Jane de Clifford (c. 1150 Clifford Castle in Herefordshire, † 1176 in the convent of Godstow near Oxford ) was a mistress of King Henry II It was because of her beauty and The Fair Rosamund or Rose of the World called.

Life

Rosamund was the youngest daughter of the Welsh Marches Lord Walter de Clifford FitzRichard (1127-1187) and his wife Lady Margaret de Tosny. She grew up with her sisters, Amice († 1185 ) and Lucy († 1195) on Herefordshire. Maybe you met King Henry II (1133-1189) during a campaign against Wales. Henry was known for his numerous affairs, including Henry's affairs were with girls of noble house. The liaison with Rosamund Clifford became public when Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1173 supported the revolt of her sons. The reasons for their partisanship against Henry are not clear. Perhaps she felt - as their sons - excluded from power; participation in the revolt of her sons against the father in response to the adultery is excluded by most historians, however. After the suppression of the uprising Clifford was made to the death of Henry II under guard. 1175 should have considered Henry a divorce, but remained Eleonore Queen. Rosamund retired to the monastery Godstow, where she died in 1176 and was also buried.

Since the 14th century, there are rumors, ballads and stories, which the jealous Queen Eleanor Rosamund Clifford had poisoned by jealousy in the royal palace at Woodstock. Only in the 19th century, they were refuted as historically untenable.

Progeny

From the numerous affairs of Henry several illegitimate children have emerged. In older literature, William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury ( † 1226 ), sometimes referred to as a son of Rosamund is called. This view is not shared by historians today.